11/03/2014

Democracy 2014 – Hong Kong Chapter.



What Hong Kong Protests Taught Hong Kong, China and The World.
Democracy is Not Easy.  It is learnt only through failures and errors.  The Lessons are perpetual with endless emergence of newer Lessons.

After nearly 5 weeks of “pro”-Democracy sit-downs, disruptions and infringements of the natural “democratic” rights of other Hong Kongers, the protesting crowd simply fizzled and dissolved as it depleted itself of non-existent political sustenance, as well as the folding goodwill shelter of Democracy’s Umbrella.

It became blatantly clear that in spite of increasing thousands of nightly cheering spectators and bystanders, the HK student protestors were UNABLE to establish a connection with the larger HK Community to develop a critical collective identity for sustainable political action to obtain the greatest good for the largest number.

In the end, the HK Students and their political and financial supporters were exposed to be just another noisy and mischievous rabble that were merely opinionated with deep prejudices but no convictions; and that while they had energetic determination, they did not possess any credible political will because they, albeit a tiny group, had only wanted for themselves instead of incorporating the greater good that the vast majority of other Hong Kongers may prefer.  Democracy is for the Whole and not just for a few persons in Society, no matter how vocal and destructive the few may demonstrate. 

The Absence of a Collective Hong Kong Identity further explained the failure of HK student protestors to establish a connection through their protests with the vast majority of other Hong Kongers. They occupied, stood and sat ALONE on major public roads, property and space, becoming increasingly an unnecessary nuisance to fellow Hong Kongers who rightfully demanded the legitimate return of their shared “public space” so rudely expropriated weeks earlier by the students for purposes which were never articulated in the language and terms of the public good. 

The Protestors’ insensitivity to the growing economic plight of their fellow Hong Kongers betrayed the fragile absence of the perequisite social norms of trust and reciprocity necessary to promote civic co-operation in a Democracy.  There were no shared bonds of affiliation and trust between the Protestors and other members of Hong Kong society.

Hong Kong politics is NOT about Beijing vs Democracy. Hong Kongers, have to choose between its future as a prosperous Chinese city vs being an unstable anti-China bastion. 

Kopi Level - Yellow


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10 comments:

  1. Have to say I don't agree with all of what he says but he does make a very valid point that in the end a protest may be very loud and vocal but it still needs to make a connection with the ground. If not it could be for nothing.

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  2. The Hongkies know the demands by the students would never be acceded by Beijing and going forward is like the proverbial egg hitting a stone wall. Many heads would be broken if the students did not know how to retreat and stubbornly continue on a collision course.

    The parents would lose a few of them if they encourage them to play with fire.

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  3. When Deng Xiaoping agree to let HK people rule themselves, he mean it. This is the foundation of one country two system.

    PRC former leader Bao Tong has given an interview as below. If Zhao Ziyang is in charge, HK will get true democracy and the democracy experience will be a test bed for entire PRC.

    他說:「當時假普選這個概念還沒有被發明出來。我毫無疑問,如果趙紫陽還在,他會說我說的普選就是普選,就是普世公認的普選,而不是所謂中國特色的普選,因為根本不存在什麼所謂中國特色的普選這樣一種不同於普世普選的普選。」

    鮑彤進而表示希望當今中共領導人能做出真正符合「港人治港」原則的決定,而不要採取一個「港人不治港或非港人治港的」錯誤決定。
    他說:「如果他們採取錯誤的決定,他們凖備把鄧小平置於何地?如果他們把港人治港變成假的,他們是不是決定把鄧小平也變成假的?」

    By sitting back and suck China cock, HK will become a shit hole. Some of her main uniqueness and strength of HK is her diversity, full of anti-commie elements. If such elements are wipe out, HK will be worse off than any other PRC 3rd tier city.

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  4. I have a shorter explanation.

    The people of the Cantonese dialect are, IMO, the foremost INDIVIDUALISTIC of all the Asian cultures. They work hard and enjoy their profits from whatever enterprises they are in. They speak their mind. They'll dare to stand up one on one. They enjoy their freedom to do whatever they want to do -- even if it is not legal or "positive".

    This is Cantonese culture in HK. Therefore is is unlikely that a few rich kids from the universities will be able to sway the politically conservative rest of HK. To them, from British rule, one governor or one chairman, or CEO is all that's needed to govern and run Hong Kong. It works, it has solid empirical evidence to back it up. Plus, it keeps the jealous fuckers in Beijing happy.

    The HK Cantonese are great stewards of wealth and money. There is very little chance that they will allow some sort of "collectivism" to run their politics, which has a chance of confiscating individual wealth if the "wrong" folks got in.

    In both city states: Hong Kong and Singapore: if you are the government, or aspiring to be in government, woe behold you if you fuck with peoples' money or wealth. If you push too far, there could be violence coming your way.

    In the fat, lazy, medicated and occasionally rich democratic welfare states of the west, if you win the election, you can raise taxes astronomically within weeks and all you'll get is a few loud complaints and unfavourable editorials here and there.

    Hollande raised taxes to 70% after the DEMOCRATIC France general election. If anyone tried that in HK or Singapore, they'd better don body armour ;-)

    No democracy in HK? That's a-ok!

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  5. The Sinkies CPF money already fucked. What can they do about it?

    The Hongkies could have their money making system ruined if the students did not pull out.

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  6. To answer that RB, there needs to be a balance between what sort of democracy one wants vs how much money one wants to make. Is it to be slant towards money, or democracy/human rights, and civil society?

    Tough question.

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  7. There is no one system that fits everyone. Those students should study well, get good degrees and emigrate to 'democractic' pastures (if there is even one) when they can.

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  8. What sort of democracy to be decided by who?

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. @ RB:

    Something you might like to ponder, and perhaps one day expound on:-

    IMO, "political democracy" as it is generally accepted, is not compatible with, in fact many aspects of democracy are hostile to Confucianism -- the rubric of which Chinese-majority cultures and peoples are governed.

    Sure, you can cite the example of Taiwan being a democracy. But as a democracy they are very new, and it was hard won. I seriously doubt that Beijing will use Taiwan democracy as a "positive example" for overall political change in China. ;-)

    Beijing's filial piety laws are in accordance with the tenets of Confucianism: that the family is the basic unit of society, ad the government performs the role of a "head patriarch" of the large family of a nation and its peoples.

    Sorry lah HK, no democracy for you. Nevermind, just keep on making money and enjoying life -- Cantonese style :-))

    Got mo tuck ting? Diu le!

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